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ILM ready to forge Marvel's 'Iron'

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Industrial Light + Magic will be the principal visual effects house for Marvel Studios' "Iron Man."

It also was confirmed Friday that ILM sister company Skywalker Sound will handle sound design and mixing on the film and that Deluxe's DI business Efilm, which opened a DI suite last year at Skywalker Ranch, will do the film's color timing and mastering.

"Iron Man" is helmed by Jon Favreau, with John Nelson as visual effects supervisor; a May 2008 release is planned.

Visual effects supervisor Ben Snow is heading up the ILM team with animation supervisor Hal Hickel. Wayne Billheimer is producing for ILM, with Gretchen Libby as ILM's executive producer on the project. Chris Boyes will be the film's sound design and lead re-recording mixer.

"We are thrilled to partner with Industrial Light + Magic on 'Iron Man,' " said Kevin Feige, president of production at Marvel. "The visual effects expertise they bring to this project fit perfectly with the high-tech look and feel of this film."

Added Charlie Davis, Marvel's senior vp postproduction, "The postproduction process on a movie of this scope is always very complex, and having ILM create the visual effects, Skywalker Sound design and mix the sound and Efilm digital color time the picture all in close proximity up in San Francisco is the best of all worlds come together."

Nelson won an Oscar for "Gladiator." Snow served as a VFX supervisor on "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones." Hickel earned an Academy Award this year for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." Boyes is a four-time Oscar winner for "Dead Man's Chest," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," "Pearl Harbor" and "Titanic."